PAGE 2 WARM SRPINGS, OREGON MARCH 19, 1976
KAH-NEE-TA General Manager Dan Myles.
Interview:
(Q) J.P.: What changes
would you consider top priority’
for the improvement of Kah-
Nee-Ta?
(A) D.M.: Mainly my aim
will be to obtain week day
conference business. In other
words, we can realized the fact
that the resort business is here
and its increasing monthly. The
week day business is not here,
especially during the winter
months. We have to work hard
and concentrate on groups that
will be meeting during the week.,
This is why we are concentrat
ing on federal groups, state
groups and educational groups
because we find they usually
meet on week days. That is, we
are saturating these particular
groups with letters of solicita
tion. I hope we can realize a
return on some of this solici
tation this year, but is going to
be hard. It usually takes about
a year to build up a realistic
back log of group business. I
would like to go on record to
say that by next year at this
time the groups that we are
contacting at present should
start booking for the years to
come.
(Q) J.P.: Have there been
appreciable improvements as a
result of changes that you have
instituted? In what particular
areas?
(A) D.M.: Well, one parti
cular area which can be veri
fied and that is in the expense
bracket. Right now all I can do
is cut down on expenses and
try to control costs as much as
possible. Next year I hope that
in addition to cutting down
expenses I will be able to in
crease the income appreciably.
(Q) J.P.: What major prob
lems must you surmount in
order to attain your goals?
(A) D.M.: The largest
problem we have here, and I
imagine it is the same problem
they have had ever since Kah-
Nee-Ta has been open, and I
will like to say that this prob
lem is prevalent in all resort
areas, and this is getting good
experienced employees. This is
rather unfortunate but being
out in the “boondocks” as we
are here, and as I was at my
other resorts, there is not
enough recreation or any other
activities in which they can
participate. Unless they are
married and can socialize with
other couples, most employees
have a hard time adjusting to
this solitude. This is one reason
why Kah-Nee-Ta has built the
employee recreation center/
where they will all be able to
enjoy a recreation setup where
. everyone can participate. We
have a large building for them,
we have furnished it for them,
the Canteen Company is putting
in a lot of recreational equip
ment. They will be able to play
cards, they will be able to have
parties, conduct dances and
many things in which everyone
can enjoy. In addition to the
above, they will be able to
share the proceeds from the
game machines and the com
mission will then be placed into
an employee recreation fund
and they will be able to throw
a party at no expense to any
member with the income that
is created from the game ma
chines. We sincerely hope that
this will solve one of our
employee problems.
(Q) J.P.: Ideally, that will
eventually come about at Kah-
Nee-Ta? In other words, what
final product are you striving
for?
(A) D.M.: Well, in our final
product here is to attempt to
get an occupancy percentage of
70 percent all year round.
Hopefully more but if we can
reach an average of 70 percent,
we will have a successful op
eration.
My other aim here, and I
presented this to the Tribal
Council from whom we are
awaiting the word of approval,
and that is to teach the tribal
members to operate this place
by themselves. To get more
tribal members interested in
Kah-Nee-Ta and in manage
ment positions offered here. We
want to establish a hotel school
here. If we can get some
motivated younger tribal mem
bers in this hotel school, I
would say that within about
three years they will be oc
cupying supervisory positions
and within five years Kah-Nee-
Ta should be operated by tribal
managers. Actually, I under
stand this was the aim of the
Kah-Nee-Ta program when it
first started and hopefully I
can get the program operating
if we can get some young
people who are motivated in
going into this particular field.
We have some young tribal
members here at Kah-Nee-Ta
that are very good and whom I
think will eventually be in
management positions. There
are some who just can’t under
stand it and unfortunately are
more interested in how much
money they can make right
now without having the fore
sight to realize what’s in the
future. The hotel business of
fers a tremendous potential for
young people. If we can only
impress this fact' on the tribal
members it may give them a
goal that they should try to
achieve. It must be understood
that in the beginning they will
not make the money that they
can get some place else, but if
they can realize that there is a
terrific potential in this field,
that they can go out and
demand an average of $1,000 to
$1,500 as a minimum monthly
salary once they are educated,
then this is something they
have to look forward to, not
only here but any place that
they may want to go, in any
part of the country. Can you
realize what this will mean to
the Confederated Tribes, to be
able to state that they have
their own tribal members
hwere as managers of Kah-
Nee-Ta. If we can get enough
tribal members interested in
forming a class, I know that
the American Hotel Association
will be glad to send lecturers to
us, to show and make them
realize what the potential in the
hotel industry is to motivated
people. They will be able to
show them that the future is
unlimited with regards to man
agerial positions.
Although we are trying to
stimulate and motivate the
younger tribal members, I
think a lot of this motivation
should come from the parents,
who would be able to point with
pride and the prestige .of hav
ing their children in supervi
sory and managerial positions
at Kah-Nee-Ta. If you have a
good reputation in this bus
iness, you never have to worry
about a postion being open.
When I accepted the position of
Manager of Kah-Nee-Ta, I had
three other positions waiting
for me to consider. I decided
on Kah-Nee-Ta because I real
ized what a terrific challenge
this offered me.
I would like to stress one
factor to anyone that may be
considering going into the hotel
business. The hours are very
long and the work is never
ending. Weekends and holidays,
when others are having a good
time, hotel people have to
work. The rewards are many
and the results are gratifying.
Another factor that they must
consider — you have to enjoy
the company of other people if
you want to get into this bus
iness. Some people are born
with the ability and personality
to meet the public. Others have
to acquire this attribute and its
a little harder. All in all, the
end result and the pleasure of
mixing with public is very
gratifying.
. (Q) J.P.: How will you go
about improving the quality of
service? Will it mean any turn
over of present employees?
Extra training?
(A) D.M.: There is only
one way that we can improve
the quality of service, and that
is by training, training and
more training. The way we can
do it is obtaining good, ex
perienced supervisors' at pre
sent and have them train the
employees on proper service
and proper attitudes. We have
established new policy and pro
cedures and to some employees
this seems to be rather harsh.
We are trying to change their
attitude. Unfortunately, many
of them resent changing the
method of operation. Once they
realize that what we are doing
is professional and we are
trying to systemize the opera
tional procedures, they will ap
preciate it because once they
become established in a par
ticular system, everyones job
will be easier. In addition, it
will make our guests happier.
It can’t be done over night, but
we feel that by the end of this
year we will have a major
portion of our employees well
trained and working as pro
fessionals.
We are also going to
change our style of service in
the dining room during our
heavy season. We will be going
into buffets on Friday night
and Saturday night. Serving
Hunt breakfasts on Saturday
morning and Sunday morning.
By going the buffet service we
will be able to give them
variety, hot food, and they
can’t complain about the ser
vice because they will be serv
ing themselves, with the assis
tance of our waitresses and bus
boys. Frankly, I hope this will
be the answer to the problèm.
If it is not, we’ll have to try
something else. At least we will
be trying to keep our guests
happy at all times.
(Q) J.P.: How aboi# ex
penditures and deficits? Kah-
Nee-Ta has been running‘ in the
red. What are some of the
specific ways :to improve .the
situation?
(A) D.M.: The only way it
can be done is by « controls —
very strict controls. Controlling
purchases, controlling waste,
controlling time, conducting
time studies, controlling over
time by having enough em
ployees so you don’t have to
have the time and a half
factor. It all comes down again
to what I said before, very,
very tight controls. It has been
observed small portion of em
ployees resent controls and reg
imentation and professionalism.
This is what has to be in
stituted here to really put Kah-
Nee-Ta on a paying basis. Like
that medicine you have to take
to cure an illness, it may seem
very harsh in the beginning. As
the end result of that bitter
medicine or operation, is good
health. That’s what we hope
the end result will be for the
controls that we áre trying to
establish here, Kah-Nee-Ta’s
success.
(Q) J,P.: What specific
problem areas need attention at
this time?
(A) D.M.: To be perfectly
honest, I would say that every
area at Kah-Nee-Ta needs im
mediate attention. In other
words, what is involved is
teamwork. It begins at the
entrance of Kah-Nee-Ta, when
the bell hop opens the door for
the guests. It goes on to the
front desk, where the front
desk clerk pleasantly greets the
guests. It follows through with
the bell hop, taking the guests
to their room. It also is im
portant what the room looks
like when the guests get there.
It goes on into when the guest
go swimming its the reception
he receives from the life
guards. It follows through into
the dining room as to how the
Matre’d greets the guests, how
the waitress approaches the
guests. Its the attitude of the
bus help when they clear the
dishes off the table. It is also
the type of food that is served
and how it is served. It is the
time factor as to how long it
takes to serve the food. It is
the attitude of the cashier as
she bids the guest good night,
and the attitude of the bar
tender when they go in the
cocktail lounge to dance a few
numbers before they retire. It
is also the attitude of the or
chestra or the combo, what
kind of music they play,
whether it pleases the guests.
As you can see, it is not one
particular area which is im
portant in making our guests at
Kah-Nee-Ta happy. Ninety nine
percent of our personnel can do
their utmost in making the
guest happy. One percent can
ruin all of the effrots just by
being lackadaisical their at-
tidue and thereby phase out all
the good done by the ninety
nine percent striving to make
Kah-Nee-Ta a success.' This is
why I say every one working at
Kah-Nee-Ta has to be part of
the team to make the guest
happy to be abale to have him
leave here and spread the word
where ever he goes, that Kah-
Nee-Ta is the only place to go
for a vacation, a weekend, or
for a visit.
Reference: Questions pre
sented to Dan Myles by J-.P.
with regards to newspaper ar
ticle. Week of March 8-12, 1976.
LESLIE JOHNSON was recently
appointed to fill the vacant Bar
Manager position. Leslie has
worked at Kah-Nee-Ta for most
of the last 3, years, and was
Bar Manager once before. She
has worked a variety of jobs at
Kah-Nee-Ta including waitress,
hostess, bartender, and con
vention and sales coordinator.
ROBERT SMITH, new Juniper
Room Maitre D’, was at the
Safari Club in Estacada, before
coming to Kah-Nee-Ta Lodge.
His primary duty will be to
train dining room personnel in
proper service methods.